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Abstract

Mangrove forests are recognized as highly productive ecosystems; nevertheless, their ecological values, biota, and food webs are complex and yet to be understood. Scientific publications and information on aquatic invertebrates in the mangroves of Puerto Rico are scarce and mostly outdated. The Boquerón Wildlife Refuge (BWR), located in Boquerón, Cabo Rojo, is the largest mangrove forest stand in Puerto Rico's west coast. Many of the mangrove channels in the BWR are invaded by thick mats of Salvinia spp. An assessment of the aquatic macroinvertebrate diversity in three mangrove areas in the BWR invaded by Salvinia spp. and three areas without these floating ferns was conducted once a month from June to November of 2013. Salinity and pH were measured for each sampling. Three sampling methods were used; aquatic light traps, Malaise traps, and D-net sweeps. Whole samples were screened and the organisms sorted and identified. A total of 21,305 invertebrates were collected and identified, at least to order-level. These organisms belong to 20 orders and 81 families. The most abundant order was Diptera. The groups with the greatest family richness were Diptera (21 families) and Coleoptera (12 families). The BWR showed a highly diverse ecosystem and the abundance of macroinvertebrates showed spatial and temporal variations. There was no clear relationship between the pH, salinity and precipitation and the abundance of organisms probably because the water level of the refuge is controlled manually through dikes. Mangrove areas with and without Salvinia behave as two distinctive habitats; similarity index values (Jaccard) were 0.5 which indicates that they share only around the half of their taxa (families). Each sampling method rendered a distinctive fauna. This study will serve as a baseline characterization for future studies, for the biomonitoring and specific management programs for the preservation of its biodiversity.